Graham Staines death: Churches still burnt, pastors killed

Mark Furler is News Regional Media's group digital editor. He’s an award-winning journalist who has lived and worked on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for more than 30 years. He’s passionate about fighting for a better go for locals. His awards include Editor of the Year, and involvement in three PANPA Newspaper of the Year wins for the Sunshine Coast Daily. He has also been involved in INMA and News awards wins for excellence in digital coverage.

LONG time Sunshine Coast minister Bill Forward believes Graham Staines would be 'laughing in heaven' at the impact his death had in spreading the Christian message throughout India.

Mr Forward said while Mr Staines would struggle to get Indians to listen to his message, now hundreds, if not thousands, had come to Christ because of his story.

Bill and his wife Glad went to the west side of India in 1963 while Graham Staines worked with lepers on the east side.
"We were doing identical work,'' the former Faith Community Church (Buderim Gospel Chapel) minister said.

"I was working in the leprosy mission as an administrator.

"He was reaching out with the gospel to tribal people around him.''

Mr Forward said back then Christians had a lot more liberty to share the Christian faith but in recent times there had been a huge uprising of radical Hindu nationalists.

When Graham and his young sons were killed the impact was felt hard on the Sunshine Coast, particularly in the Salvation Army church, where he was well known.

The death of Graham Staines and his two sons at the hands of Hindu extremists sent shockwaves around the world. But his legacy is all around, especially among the leper communities in India.

"Obviously the impact for all of us was this was the future… this would happen to all of us,'' Mr Forward said.

Mr Forward said even back when he was in India he could signs of a growing anti-Christian sentiment.

"I remember staying in a hotel and outside of my window there were a whole group of men practicising in a semi military style with sticks - how to beat people up and how to intimidate them.''

He said western governments needed to do more to protect their citizens' freedoms. "I think even our government are blissfully unaware that churches are being burned and pastors being killed."

He said anyone trying to set up meetings faced 'jeep loads of louts roaring into the village, ripping down microphones"

Australian missionary Graham Staines working with locals prior to being burnt to death with his two sons by anti-christian extremists in village in eastern State of Orissa, India SUPPLIED

"They have vowed and declared they will reconvert every Christian."

But Mr Forward said the more Christians were persecuted, the more the faith spread.

Ashley Saunders, Australian CEO of the Barnabas Fund, an aid agency for the persecuted church, said there were many parts of the world, including China and India, where persecution was increasing.

He said even major Christian aid organisations like Compassion had been forced to leave India in the face of rise of Hindu nationalism.

He said while the mainstream media focused much on the rise of Islam, it gave little coverage to the persecution of Christian minority groups around the world.

"For some reason in the west there is an anti-Christian bias.''

Gladys Staines during a visit to Staines Memorial College.

THE GRAHAM STAINES STORY

Graham and Gladys Staines served with the Evangelical Missionary Society in Mayurbhanj (EMSM), founded in 1895 by Kate Allenby from Windsor Road Baptist Church in Queensland.

The work focused on serving those affected by leprosy and other impoverished and outcast peoples; and on planting and supporting local churches.

The Graham Staines Memorial Hospital was opened in 2004, the Philip and Timothy Memorial Hostel for 40 boys in 2003.

The Staines Memorial College is also home to hundreds of students at Redbank Plains.

While he and the boys were buried in India, a memorial has also been set up for Graham Staines in Beaudesert, where he also lived.